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Our week that we spent at the Luxury Bahia Principe Esmeralda in Punta Cana, D.R. was very enjoyable and relaxing. Since we had no agenda, an all-inclusive resort was perfect. The resort was a fantastic bargain given the quality of the room, the perfectly manicured grounds, the friendly staff, the high quality breakfast buffet, and the well appointed rooms with excellent air conditioning. Since we love to take walks on the beach, the long stretch of Bavaro Beach in front of the hotel was perfect to walk on. The only negative from our stay was that you had to pay for Wi-Fi. As far as all-inclusive resorts go, it was a pretty standard resort. Here are some photos from our time at the Luxury Bahia Principe Esmeralda:

My wife and I recently returned from a week long vacation to the Dominican Republic with our three month old baby. Although it is definitely different traveling with a newborn, we were still able to enjoy our vacation. As new parents and avid travelers, we were very eager for little Alexandra Rose to get her first passport stamp. There is no doubt that traveling with a newborn presents a new set of challenges which is why we opted for an all inclusive beach vacation for our first adventure as a new family. Here are some things I learned during our trip to the Dominican Republic:

1. Opt for non-stop flights and minimize time zone changes- While planning this trip, my wife and I wanted to minimize the number of connections we had so we flew directly from Minneapolis to Punta Cana. With a non-stop flight, there was minimal chance of lost checked baggage and minimal hassle trying to make a tight connection. There is no doubt that a non-stop flight eased our stress level considerably.

2. Plan to have a bottle, breast feed, or have a pacifier ready for the baby right at the start of take off- With this in mind, the baby is distracted during take off and this minimizes the chance of any pressure related ear pain.

3. Lower your expectations – This way, if the baby has a melt down or struggles with schedule changes, you will be able to get past this easier and enjoy your new way of vacationing more.

4. Go places where there are other kids on vacation – This made us feel more comfortable that we weren’t diminishing anybody else’s vacation given the high number of young families at our resort.

5. Avoid a vacation with lots of sightseeing or tours with a newborn – We still attempted to keep to a schedule with Alexandra thus scheduling any tours or sightseeing would have been very difficult.

Baby and Mom in the shade on the beach

6. Bring more diapers and baby outfits then you think you’ll need.

7. Make sure you have a pacifier clip – Cleaning sand off a spit out pacifier got old pretty fast.

8. Become skilled at eating with one hand – It seemed every meal Alexandra became fussy just about the time we sat down to eat.

9. If your resort has a buffet, learn your wife’s likes and dislikes for food – Because Alexandra was fussy during our meals, I would usually dish up my wife’s food so she could calm Alexandra down.

10. Traveling with a newborn is different, challenging at times, but if you love to travel, there are few reasons not to hop on that plane and continue to see the world.

On January 27th, 2015 my new travel partner was born. Alexandra Rose came into this world in the dead of winter in Wisconsin. It has certainly been a whirlwind two and half months since she was born. She went from basically feeding and sleeping all day and night to now being alert and smiling and developing a personality. It has been a fun to see this transition in such a short amount of time. Being new parents has been an adjustment on our end. We plan our outings around her schedule. A big outing at this juncture might be a lunch or early dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings or Red Robin. However, even with a new baby, we are determined to continue traveling. Prior to deciding to start a family, my wife and I made a pact that we would continue to be adventurous, travel, and see the world. As soon as we received Alexandra’s birth certificate, we applied for her passport and received it a few weeks later. Our first trip with Alexandra will be to an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana in May. My wife and I will now be that couple that brings a baby on the plane so I apologize in advance!

There are certain moments during travel when you have time to reflect. I recently had one of those moments. A work related continuing education conference took me to Japan which happened to be the fiftieth country that I have visited. What did this mean? For one, I was counting my blessings that I was healthy enough to undertake these journeys. Second, I was thankful that I had the resources to travel and that I was raised by two parents who loved to travel so much. I felt lucky, inspired, and happy at that very moment as my plane crossed over the Pacific Ocean.

As I listened to Christina Perry’s “Human” during the twelve hour journey to Japan, the reflections on my life continued . Without a hint of doubt, some of my most happy times in my life occur when I am traveling. Of course, I thought about those times and reminisced fondly of them. Some of these moments were simplistic – eating In and Out Burger on the first day of our honeymoon as we watched planes approach LAX over Sepulveda Boulevard. Other moments were too unbelievable to even describe. The three most enjoyable days I have spent in my life were at Pondoro Game Lodge in South Africa. Never, have I been so captivated and excited for such a period of time. I knew at that moment, everyone needs some adventure in their life. Some unpredictability in life is ok. I also thought about the times when I was able to celebrate a professional milestone with travel and two examples came to mind. I was able to celebrate the passing of my board exams in Cairns, Australia with my friend Emily. The other being a Baltic Sea cruise to celebrate the end of my oral and maxillofacial surgery residency with my parents and wife. The happiness of attaining a goal and the relief that comes with it is one feeling that I most definitely will never forget.

Many times for me, travel has represented an escape from the stresses of life – almost all educational and professional stresses to this point. When I am traveling, I tend to lose myself in the place. The stresses are gone and although I know it is only momentary, it has been absolutely necessary for me to continue on this path I have chosen. Ironically, these very professional stresses that have so tortured me have also allowed me to undertake such a varied and exotic travel lifestyle to six continents and fifty countries. I guess life is all about trade offs. I contemplated whether the trade off was worth it and the truth is, I don’t know the answer to that question. The one thing I do know is that I will continue to travel. The travel might not always be in the same capacity as it has over the last six years, but it will continue to be a priority. That very thought makes me happy as I dream about the next adventure.

One of the added bonuses of staying at the Intercontinental Samui was the close proximity to Ang Thong National Marine Park, which consists of 42 islands. We decided to take a day trip to this park which was only about a 45 minute speed boat ride from the hotel. Once again, the excellence of the Intercontinental was on display. They arranged the whole day tour from start to finish which made for a fun and relaxing day. The hotel staff on the tour were friendly, well organized, and took a lot of pride in providing one of the more memorable days of our trip. Ang Thong Park was absolutely spectacular.

The islands of Ang Thong National Marine Park

Islands consisting of steep limestone cliffs seemed to jut up from the sea everywhere you looked. These islands combined with the amazing aqua color of the water provided an amazing backdrop. Our first stop on the tour was Ko Mae Ko, which is one of the main islands in the park. Here, we took a short, but steep hike to the interior portion of the island where Thali Nae saltwater lake awaited us.

Saltwater Lake

Once again, limestone cliffs surrounded this serene lake. After visiting the lake, we went snorkeling around one of the many islands in the park. The marine life around the islands appeared well developed and flourishing. After a picnic lunch on the beach, we headed over to Ko Wua Talap, one of the main islands in this archipelago.

View from Ko Wua Talap

It was here, we took a strenuous hike up a rocky path to the numerous look outs on the island. The strenuous hike, combined with the stifling humidity, made for a great work out and the views from the look outs were incredible.

Looking out over the islands of Ko Wua Talap

After the hike, we cooled off in the bath-like water on the beach of Ko Wua Talap. From here, we took the short 45 minute boat ride back to our hotel after an amazing day at the park. If you are staying on Ko Samui, I can highly recommend a day trip to Ang Thong National Marine Park.

About Andrew

At age 34, my passion for travel has never been stronger. With a full time career and only three weeks vacation per year the quest to see the world is challenging. Despite this limitation, I believe that one can see the beauty in the world without having to quit their career. I can't wait for the next adventure!